WP livestock report

Hogs soar

The hog supply is becoming so tight that some U.S. packers are trimming their slaughter rates and one Smithfield plant on the U.S. East Coast suspended slaughter operations March 14.

These cuts reflect the damage being done by porcine epidemic diarrhea, which has killed millions of piglets.

Iowa-southern Minnesota hogs delivered to slaughter plants traded at up to $86 US per hundredweight March 14, up from $77-$77.50 March 7.

The estimated pork cut-out value for March 14 was $124.75 per cwt., up from $111.99 March 7.

U.S. federal slaughter to March 15 was estimated at 2.024 million, down from 2.067 million the previous week. Slaughter totalled 2.194 million last year at the same time.

Bison rise

The Canadian Bison Association said Grade A bulls with desirable weights reached $4 Cdn per pound hot hanging weight. Grade A heifers sold up to $3.85. Support came from U.S. demand fuelled by the weaker loonie.

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